Bloody Innovation!

I recently wrote an article promote my marketing masters session at Ad:Tech San Francisco. The article is entitled, "The 3 pillars of advertising innovation"

Article Highlights:

* At ad:tech SF, Broitman, along with other industry experts, will seek to dispel the notion that innovation requires new technology
* The notion of "media as a social affair" has caused one of the most profound climate changes for marketers in the last 50 years
* We are at a crossroads where marketers must ensure that all communications can be accessed everywhere, in a way that makes sense for the way it is accessed

Go have a look. Hope to see you in San Fran next month. I will be around all week.
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Ringleader Broitman Gets Bloody at Ad:Tech SF

 On Wednesday April 21st, from 11-1pm, I will be chairing the Marketing Masters track at Ad:Tech San Francisco entitled, “The Bleeding Edge of Advertising Innovation”. As you can see, I am pretty excited about it:
  

 
 
  







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If you are in media sales, or are selling a new technology that is potentially beneficial for media and marketing professionals, this post is for you!

Would you like a new outlet to talk about your media property or technology?

Of course you would!

Would you like this outlet to be outside of your own domain to reach new audiences?

Once again, of course

(I know I am answering for you; I am taking stabs in the dark)

Well, we have created a way to help out!

That is right, we will feature your media property or technology, and you don't even have to pay us (you certainly can, but it won't get you preferential treatment other than having us totally pimp you to the biggest media buyers on the planet :)).

Here at AMediaCirc.us HQ, we believe that agency/brand/publisher relationships ought to be partnerships. We feel that, in order to create successful initiatives, you need to have the right information about the entire media landscape; and all of the players that make it up. As such, we have decided to create a portion of the site where publishers/vendors and technology providers are highlighted--for free (we tend to favor new publishers with fresh ideas, but that does not mean we won't include your stodgy old media property. Just kidding--we love you all).

In order to take part, go to this section of the blog and follow the instructions:

All you need is click, click is all you need.

Yes, it is really that simple!

Doctor Zizmor Has the Munchies, Loses Ability to Have a Conversation

doctor-zizmor

My initial reaction to the new Snickers campaign that is gracing the sidewalks and subways of New York City was, "wow, this is REALLY corny!"

As I began to see more executions of the campaign on New York City Subways, the campaign began to grow on me a little bit (I realize that this is not actually the first time that this campaign has run, but it is the first time that it has caught my attention) after all, how many ways can you make people care about a candy bar on a NYC subway?

doctor-feedzmore

In thinking about this particular execution, the term culture jamming comes to mind. While this campaign does not fit the exact definition of culture jamming, it does poke fun at pop culture in an artful way (I guess "artful"  is open for debate). More than simply addressing pop culture, this campaign addresses a specific segment of pop culture that may only be fun for NYC subway riders. NYC subway riders have long seen silly, redundant ads from the infamous Dr. Zizmor; so in  looking more at this ad, as I was packed like a sardine in an NYC subway car, I had to smile.

This campaign may not exactly be brilliance in action (and it may not sell candy bars) but it did pass the time.

Upon entering my apartment, I transferred my photos from my iPhone to my computer and began to complete this post (which was almost complete on the subway ride--thank you iPhone). I did a search for, "doctor feedzmore" in order to find out who created this campaign and came up with one search result, one!!! No paid ads, nuthin!

feedzmore-results

This was the perfect opportunity to begin a dialog between a brand and a consumer. Sure, I am not your everyday consumer, as my interests were in the advertising campaign. Still, I wonder how many people went to Google to continue the conversation after seeing these ads. In my opinion, the nominal cost required to continue this conversation (via search) is nothing in comparison to the opportunity for a continuation of the overall engagement.

Unfortunately things of this nature continue to happen; the minute I begin to think that traditionally minded agencies are starting to understand, and leverage new media channels to create true integrated initiatives, I am let down. I realize that often times there is a bottleneck when it comes to budget and other practical matters, but it is the media strategists job to present a comprehensive strategy in the conception phase, and search/conversation can no longer be bolted on as an after thought.

If you are not versed in search marketing, allow me to show you the reason that the Snickers site is not showing up in the organic results. The first image is what a user sees (full flash goodness) and the second is what Google sees (hmmmm...what is that?!)



Looks a bit different, huh!? Looks a bit different, huh!?
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Dear Hulu



Dear Hulu,

Our love affair started shortly after you launched into this world. You were everything I ever wanted in streaming video, and more;

  • An angelic player that caressed me as I leaned back to watch online video

    • All the others are so brash--making me lean forward all the time

    • Also, you knew exactly when to turn the lights low



  • Ample programming

  • Sexy and sleek interface

  • Reasonable commercial slots,  that clearly stated how long they were to run for

    • generally under 15 seconds if I remember correctly




It seemed that you really understood the my nature, and the nature of online video. You seemed to know exactly where we were headed.  You catered to the wants and needs of an online man; and baby, I was your online man (and one who was in the ever-so-lucrative, hard to reach demographic- 25-34 male)!

I hooked up my mac to my plasma for you. I even canceled my dates with premium cable services, as I knew you were the only one for me.

But, oh Hulu; times have changed!

Maybe it is your parents (NBC) that are trying to rip us apart by placing the same, gut wrenchingly annoying ads three times in 20 minutes (have you seen the one for Edge Gel--"Lube Moistricants"!!! I may kill myself if I ever see that thing again; and you can bet I will never buy that product). If only your parents knew that I am happy to trade my time for our love; but a man can only stand so much!

..and another thing Hulu; where is your sense of adventure. You and your friends (the advertisers) could learn to try news things. I have thought of a few:

  • Sequenced messaging

    • I don't need you to yell the same things at me all the time. I heard you the first time. I feel like you don't listen; and the more you shout the same thing, the less I hear it.



  • In ad experiences

    • hey it is interactive, don't just show me that car, take me for a ride and drop me back in my show when we are done



  • Choose your sponsor

    • hey, it is working for Weatherbug



  • Hulu currency

    • skip ads if you take a quick survey--there are a lot of people out there looking for lead gen opportunities

    • build up currency, trade with friends

    • use currency to buy product



  • Conversational ads

    • show me a few elements of a product, and ask me what I want to know more about



  • If all else fails, charge me! I may just be willing to pay money to skip the torture that ensues when you remind me of my 30 second spot childhood


I am not the only one who sees the rift in this relationship. I was talking with my girls about us, and they had this to say:
"I agree 1000% percent. How did they miss the ad model boat on such a great product?" -Erin Wilson

"the worst part is that the ads are usually 300% louder than the movies (especially if you are watching something that is old) and it's just not a great experience all in all. Luckily, my laptop comes with a remote so I just mute the stuff from the comfort of my bed, but still: annoying. I'd rather pay a little for the service than have those ads...you can say that I bought netflix to make it thru my knee surgery instead of using them too. Part of that is selection but part is the noise thing." -Kate Bessiere

Well Hulu, I cannot deny the fact that I still love you and I know it is wrong to ask a partner to change; but if anything I have said here makes sense to you, and you feel we are meant to be together--well, it would make me the happiest geek on the planet.

I LOVE YOU HULU

Love,

your lil' hunny bunny bear

Adam
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Santa Focuses On Bran Muffins and Soy Milk


PalmPilot, 1998
Image via Wikipedia


The digital age has been difficult for many marketers. All too often, marketers put the technological cart before the strategic horse. Facebook (and other social networks) is a breeding ground for campaigns that focus on the features of the platform, without telling a story.This is certainly not the fault of Facebook, rather it is the fault of marketers, who have not taken the time to internalize the meaning of community and conversation. It is the fault of those that thing technology, in and of itself, is the answer.

We must not forget that, in order to compel consumers, we must offer value--and that value needs to be delivered in the form of a story; advertising 101.

A few weeks ago Palm launched a campaign for it's Centro line call; Claüs. The campaign is unique for a number of reasons:

  • While the campaign has applications, they are not the centerpiece. Palm is not relying on the ever popular "viral nature of the social graph"

    • This campaign appears to be a viral success, as there are over 60k fans, and nearly a thousand wall posts--but it is apparent that the creators of this campaign new that it takes more than a one trick pony to ensure virality

      • Some of the content is good, come of the content is not as good, but overall, this is a fun campaign



    • The two applications that are offered, are not front and center



  • There is very little branding on the page (there is some, but it is not overwhelming)


  • Through various multimedia aspects, the brand tells a story in a nonlinear fashion

    • this gives people a reason to poke around the page and look for more pieces of the puzzle



  • Free downloadable music (I strongly recommend, Samba Dreidel)


Overall this is a fun and refreshing campaign. At a time when many marketers are already dismissing Facebook as a viable option, it is nice to see a truly creative effort that shows us, it is not the platform per se, it is how you use it!

Overall Scores:

Creativity: B+

Execution: A

Conversational Strategy: B

General Strategy: A-
Claus
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: social media)


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Branding: Without Your Brand


The King of Pepsi
Image via Wikipedia


All successful brands tell a story. Apple tells us a story about people who "think different." Pepsi tells us the tale of a new generation and Disney tells a story about imagination and childhood. These are classic American brand stories -- cultivated through traditional channels and originated (to a large degree) by the brands themselves.

This is the way the world used to work. There is, however, a new world order when it comes to brand storytelling.

The notion that brand managers ever had total control over how their brands were perceived is a farce. Still, there was a time when brand managers had a greater degree of control. The rise of social computing and other emerging channels has led to the origination of brand lore in the most unlikely places. "Dell Hell" was not a story cooked up in the offices of Dell -- it originated on a blog. On the flip side, tales of remarkable yet atypical customer service performed by Zappos employees would have been less effective if spread solely by the mouths of Zappos execs. These exceptional yarns were spun (again, to a large degree) by consumers and then amplified by mainstream media (with a little help from Zappos PR, of course).

The bottom line is that brands have less control than ever before -- but that does not make them powerless. Creative strategies can get brands in front of audiences that were previously unreachable, and in a way that could endear consumers to a brand like never before. Brands do not always have to be front and center for an initiative to have an impact. In fact, sometimes it is best if a brand is not front and center. This allows consumers to tell stories to other consumers. And at a time when consumer belief in advertising is at an all-time low, C to C marketing is essential.

Read On at iMediaconnection
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What Brand Managers Can Learn From High School Students


Scion
Image via Wikipedia


No one knows everything (I am getting pretty close though :) ) and everyone has something to teach.

  • If you are a brand manager and think you know everything about your brand, think again

  • If you are a brand manager and think you know everything about your consumer base, you are in even worse shape


Brands are living entities; changing shape and composition in the minds of consumers all the time. These changes are taking place all the time, and are different in every consumer. That said, knowledge communities tend to share brand perceptions, and it is easier to target one consumercommunity at a time.

The questions is, how do you garner information in order to best message a consumer segment.You can:

  1. Create what you think consumers want to hear

  2. Hold scientifically engineered focus groups

  3. Ask consumers to show you how they would like to be messaged


Number three has been very popular over the past few years. User Generated Content has surfaced and hit the mainstream--but letting consumers do the job of the marketer is not necessarily the answer. I have said this many times before; the answer lies in collaboration and co-creation.

Recently, Scion began a campaign that takes advantage of point three. According to Marketing Daily, Scion challenged high school students to create marketing campaigns on their behalf--but here is the kicker; Scion does not plan to use these campaigns. This is not a strict UGC effort where consumer work will be paraded around as advertising. This effort is an exercise in collaboration and co-creation, done in a very strategic manner.

Next time you find yourself in a planning cycle and trying to find the voice of the consumer, I suggest going right to the source.
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...it is how you use it!

Putting Twitter To Good Use

You need to learn how to use Twitter because all of the young people are using it, right? Um, no way!

I don't have the usage stats (kudos to anyone who can get them for me) but I don't know anyone under twenty who uses Twitter (and yes, I do know people under twenty). In fact, most people I know who use Twitter are older than twenty-five. Still, if you are a marketer learning to use Twitter in order to learn how the next generation will communicate, you are doing the right thing.

When I opened up Twittelator today, I noticed that there was a new menu item; movies. I clicked on it, and had one of those, "ah ha" moments. The underlying value of this function was not the technology (Twitter), it was how the technology was being used to parse information, and get it to me in a more relevant manner. This is, in my opinion where this space is moving. It is not about mass/micro chatter. It is about finding relevant communities of micro chatter that can give you the info you want/need--when and where you want it.

Every once in a while I have a moment of zen, where a technology reveals an underlying something that is a signifier of fundamental, sociological changes.These moments of zen only come when I let my mind wander--you don't always have to focus very hard to get your mind to interesting places.

Language is technology, and how we use language and information accelerates our culture.
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Caution Before Marketing



The above is the title I would have given my latest article over at iMedia--alas, they know best what brings in the traffic, and I love them for it :)

I bring up a number of topics that I plan on expanding upon on this blog. All of the marketing mistakes that I spell out are part of larger issues that I think about on an ongoing basis. I would love to hear which topics are most pressing for readers of this blog. I would be happy to do a deeper dive into any of these topics:

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Google: Quality Ads or Quality Bottom Line?



Google in 1998 Image via Wikipedia


In their endless pursuit of relevant advertising, Google has made many changes to the way in which they serve ads. Many of these changes have gone against surface level laws of profitability. Things like, excluding advertisers for being irrelevant, making one advertiser pay more for the same ad space another advertiser is paying less for etc.

In the end, what Google has done is created a new way to think about advertising. Google has shown us that advertising can add value to an experience--it can even be part of the experience.

Today Google announced some changes to the way in which they price ads. These changes have some wondering whether Google is continuing their quest for the ultimate in  relevant advertising, or gearing up for the continued economic slowdown.

The two major changes are:

  • More precise Quality Score calculation

  • Higher quality ads above the search results


The Google Adwords Blog and Techcrunch each do a pretty good job of explaining the intricacies of these new factors. For the sake of ease, I will copy how Google defines each:
More precise Quality Score calculation
Clickthrough rate (CTR) is the most significant component of Quality Score because it directly indicates which ads are most relevant to our searchers. As you probably have observed, ads in high positions typically earn better CTR than those in low positions, because ads in high positions are more visible to searchers. To calculate the most accurate Quality Scores, it's important that the influence of ad position on CTR be taken into account and removed from the Quality Score.

In the coming days, we'll update the portion of the Quality Score algorithm that accounts for ad position. This will result in more accurate Quality Scores, ensure that ads compete fairly for position based on their quality and bid, and enable Google to show the most relevant ads to searchers by rewarding high-quality advertisers with better ad positions.

This first change makes sense, but I am wondering; if an advertiser gets rewarded for being highly relevant, gets good ad placement, and then speaks to a consumer's needs when serving an ad, should they not be exponentially rewarded for that? It seems the advertisers that continuously adheres to Google's best practices, and continually achieve a lower minimum bid for higher ad positioning, should continue to be rewarded (at a higher rate than others). By discrediting an advertisers ability to get to the top and continue to reward them for good CTR, Google may piss off some advertisers. On the flip side, this virtuous circle that an advertiser can enter into may block out other relevant advertisers, costing Google money

Change #2
Higher quality ads above the search results
We're also improving the way we determine which ads show in the yellow region above the search results. These positions are particularly valuable to advertisers because they are prominently positioned on the page. Given their prominence, it's especially important that these ads be high quality; we therefore place extra emphasis on quality when determining which ads to show in this location.

To appear above the search results, ads must meet a certain quality threshold. In the past, if the ad with the highest Ad Rank did not meet the quality threshold, we may not have shown any ads above the search results. With this update, we'll allow an ad that meets the quality threshold to appear above the search results even if it has to jump over other ads to do so. For instance, suppose the ad in position 1 on the right side of the page doesn't have a high enough Quality Score to appear above the search results, but the ad in position 2 does. It's now possible for the number 2 ad to jump over the number 1 ad and appear above the search results. This change ensures that quality plays an even more important role in determining the ads that show in those prominent positions.

Keep in mind that these enhancements may cause changes to your ad position, spend, and performance. We're launching these updates soon so that you'll have enough time to review your accounts and prepare for your holiday season advertising. While we don't believe that any immediate changes are needed on your part, we encourage you, as always, to watch your key metrics and to make adjustments as appropriate.

The strategy behind this one is a bit more confusing. It is obvious that Google wants someone in the top spot at all times because, that is the most coveted piece of real estate on the page. This post talks about the need to meet a certain "quality threshold" (odd that they are using language other than "quality score").  The post goes on to say:




if the ad with the highest Ad Rank did not meet the quality threshold, we may not have shown any ads above the search results. With this update, we'll allow an ad that meets the quality threshold to appear above the search results



For those of you that do not know it, here is the formula for Ad Rank:


Ad Rank = CPC bid × Quality Score


The language above can be interpreted as follows:


If you are bidding more, thus fulfilling one variable of the Ad Rank score, and are receiving a higher Ad Rank, you can potentially meet the quality threshold (not quality score) and get bumped to the top over another advertiser who is bidding less. Granted, your quality score has to be good, but it seems they are saying that, in the past, good was not good enough; and now it is.This is a tough one. On the surface level it is presented as being all about quality, but I am not so sure about that.


I realize that their is some ambiguity here, but I feel my interpretation of this language is fair--as the Google post is very vague in my opinion. I am thinking long and hard about what this means (I am even thinking, I am over thinking this) but I do believe Google has a board to answer to, and they are in no position to improve quality at the expense of their bottom line.



I am awaiting, and welcome people to come and tell me I am wrong. Do me a favor though, if you are going to do so, please be as descriptive as possible--thanks!





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Who Suffers From A Slow Down In Online Ad Spend?

(cross posted from the new iMediaconnection blog)

After a hectic week on Wall Street some industry analysts are predicting a downturn in online advertising spend for certain sectors. Other analysts are predicting a cut in ad spend across the entire industry as early as Q4. These predictions beg the question-who will suffer from such a state of affairs?

Will brands suffer from fewer above-the-line video ads and rich media ads that largely serve to disrupt media consumption? My feeling is-not as badly as some would like to think. Brands may not be able to reach as many people if their advertising budgets are decreased, but smaller budgets don't always equate to diminished returns.

On the flip side, there is no question that agencies who charge a percent of media spend will suffer from this downturn-still; I won't cry myself to sleep for those stuck in a model that is inherently broken. To all my good friends working for traditionally minded agencies (agencies that will lose money this holiday season)-now is your chance to help change the model. Now is your chance to step out of the media-buying-as-commodity box, begin to charge more for your strategic thinking and intellectual property and spend less on canned media buying.

A month ago I moved to strategic consultancy, Crayon, in order to harvest my belief in the fact that what the advertising/marketing world needs now, more than ever, is more strategic thinking-and much less superfluous ad spending. Here are a few strategic arena's that have been on the brain this week in light of all the speculation surrounding cuts in ad spending:


I took this photo of my :en:iPhone and its SIM slot. Image via Wikipedia


The Lasting Value of a Good Mobile Strategy

This week we saw, what some feel is the dawn of a new day in the world of mobile marketing and advertising-but most of the commentary in both traditional media and the blogosphere focused on one thing; whether or not the HTC G1 is an iPhone killer.

As a marketer you should be considering how mobile marketing (notice I did not say advertising) can help achieve your business goals-in most cases it will not involve mobile banner buys and other forms of disruptive marketing (especially when ad dollars are being reigned in). The debate about the iPhone versus Android is relatively insignificant for marketers. The real ramifications (for marketers) of the burgeoning, open mobile ecosystem are the ability to create value added tools-tools that do not just serve the bottom line of a single campaign-but tools that have the capability of creating lasting value for consumers. A great example is Visa's announcement that they will be working with the Android platform on mobile payments.

At a time where the purse strings are being held close to the belt-longer lasting strategies are the ones that will win.




Image of Sean Cheyney from Twitter Image of Sean Cheyney


Digital Marketing Does Not Mean Marketing to Numbers

This week I listened to a great podcast on Susan Bratton's Dishy Mix. She interviewed friend and colleague, Sean Cheyney of Accuquote who had some really interesting things to say (I definitely recommended having a listen).  Sean told a story of a conference at which he posed the following question, "how many of you know what happens to a lead after you generate the lead?" Only one person raised their hand in response to this question.

I don't spend a lot of time deploying traditional lead generation campaigns these days-but it always amazes me when I hear stories of marketers still treating web marketing like a digitized version of a traditional medium.  Online lead generation has much greater potential then direct mail (at least in the ability to segment leads and create more custom follow up messages). Sean's anecdote got me thinking about the opportunity that exists at the cross section of lead generation and social marketing. If a lead is important enough to spend time mining-the consumer attached to the lead should be important enough to have a conversation with.

In future lead generation campaigns you may want to think about adding optional fields for a Twitter name. Strengthened consumers bonds fostered by conversation could certainly help close a deal.


Image of Greg Verdino from Twitter Image of Greg Verdino


Innovation Involves Creativity

Innovation does not always have to break the bank. In fact, sometimes innovation only requires time and creative thinking-not new technology. We are at a point where there are so many new technologies that are untouched by marketers. There is a great deal of opportunity to leverage these technologies at relatively low cost. This week colleague (and bald brother) Greg Verdino wrote about how marketers don't always need to chase shiny objects, or the next big thing. He writes how marketers often lose interest in "the untried, in favor of the unknown".

As our economic woes continue-we as marketers need to find ways to weather the storm. While layoffs and cutbacks will be inevitable-the strategic, innovative marketer/media practitioner will always be able to find a paycheck. Those professionals dealing in tonnage and smoke and mirrors however may have to practice the dictum; "would you like fries with that".

Innovation does not always require new tools. In fact, some of the most innovative ideas are those that mix existing tools with a dash of creativity. Take ARG's (alternate reality games) for example. Often times they employ traditional media to create new experiences.

Don't fixate on tools-at the end of the day the most important things are strategy and creativity.
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Half of My Social Marketing Dollars Are Wasted; I Will Tell You Which Half

Most marketers know the old adage (attributed to John Wanamaker):

"Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."

This aphorism has actually become a battle cry for many digital marketers who-with the help of various ad serving technologies (and other means that were not around in Wanamaker's day) are able to better determine how well their advertising is doing.

This notion of accountability has been something that the social media marketer has been grappling more fiercely in the past few years.  The reason this has become such a hot topic for social media marketers is, most social media takes place in the digital sphere; and many marketers equate digital with accountability. For those of us living in the real world; this is simply not true. What is true is that-due to the fact that most social media takes place online-the ability to figure out what is working and what is  not working is substantial; as is the ability to optimize efforts.

Here are a few ways I think about optimizing social media efforts:

  • Use search as conversational hearing aid-how well your conversations are doing at creating demand for a specific product/topic etc?

    • Search volume lift on major engines around a given term/concept that you are talking to consumers about is a way to determine how well you are doing at having effective consumer conversations online



  • Content as arbiter of interest

    • Controlled, methodological content creation can act as a consumer question; web activity can act as implied answers

      • e.g. Put five product shots online-what is getting the most views? What are people commenting on?







  • Learn to be a social media traffic cop

    • Define where most of your social media traffic is coming from.

      • Where does your audience spend most of their time?



    • Some properties don't allow tracking codes in URL's-but that does not mean you cannot build custom landing pages that cater to traffic coming from certain sites (i.e. http://amediacirc.us/facebook)




I doubt anyone will ever know how well the sum total of their marketing dollars are doing-and how many dollars are wasted. Still, we do have an advantage on Mr. Wanamaker!


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Who Is Responsbile For Monitoring Contextual Advertising?

One of the major value propositions of advertising online is the ability to target users with relevant messages. The problem is, algorithms used to do such targeting are not humans. Therefore. there are often issues with algorithms being to literal.

I just returned from a behavioral targeting summit where I heard such comments as, "help, my computer thinks I am a 40 year old female" (from a 30 year old male of course).

So how far have we come in our quest to be hyper relevant marketers and advertisers?

It is my contention that we have come a long way, but when I see examples like the ones below, I realize that there is still a long way to go.



This morning I saw another example on CNN of contextaul gone wrong. The article spoke of how ads from John McCain appeared on sites that vilified Barack Obama.Needless to say this is less than political and the ads were pulled (I am sure the media buyers had a great night).

If you are a media buyer purchasing ads on networks to save time, you may want to rething your strategy!

Those of us in the business know there are efficiencies to be gained from networks, but I can tell you from personal experience that there is a lot of danger out there for advertisers.

As an agency executive, it is your job to protect your clients from such dangers!

Trends And Truisms Day One: The Big Idea Can Be The Sum of Small Ideas

How many of my fellow marketers out there were asked to create “the big idea” this year?


After getting this request, how many of you came up with strategies that employed various social channels, content syndication strategies and search strategies only to hear;


“I love it, but where is the big idea?”


Perhaps some of you replied with;


Perhaps the “big idea” does not mean what it used to mean?


One of the big problems of the year is that many marketers have still not learned of accepted some of the following principles:




  • The micro-site is essentially dead (it is not totally dead. It still has a role however this role is nowhere near as important as it once was)

    • These days your distributed web strategy is far more important than your mircosite strategy (potentially any other web strategy you can devise)

      • Be everywhere that a consumer may want to find you or risk obsolescence in the eyes of that consumer





  • Viral Does Not Mean Cheap

  • Viral Content=Good Content

  • Conversations are big ideas, but DON’T FORGET LISTENING IS PART OF CONVERSING!

  • People don’t like advertising but they do like value

    • I often hear people say, "if advertising is targeted enough, people will like". I don’t buy that! I do however feel that if the advertising is targeted enough people will accept it. These targeted ads can also potentially add value




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